Harlem Man Is Killed by Tire Swing in Tompkins Square Park

A tire swing in Tompkins Square Park on Tuesday.Credit
Michael Appleton for The New York Times

A 39-year-old man died this week after being hit in the face with a tire swing in Tompkins Square Park in the East Village, the police said on Tuesday.

A spokesman for the Police Department said the man, Aleim Perkins of Harlem, was unconscious in the park when emergency officials arrived on Monday. He was pronounced dead at Beth Israel Medical Center. The exact cause of death was not known, the police said.

The tire swing hovers about two feet from the ground, and is attached to a bright yellow structure by three long chains. Bystanders at the scene told parks officials that the victim, who was visiting the park with a young relative, appeared to be shadowboxing with the swing when it hit him in the face.

Accidents involving play equipment are not uncommon across New York City’s 1,700 parks and playgrounds, but they are usually relatively minor. Tire swings are relatively scarce these days amid more modern climbing structures and play sets.

Parks officials said on Tuesday evening that they had not uncovered any record of a previous fatality in a city park involving a tire swing.

A version of this article appears in print on December 17, 2014, on Page A27 of the New York edition with the headline: Man Killed by Tire Swing in a City Park. Order Reprints|Today's Paper|Subscribe